Mayoral missteps aren’t cheap

I wonder if all candidates for mayor understand the nature of our city government. The narrow passage of the strong mayor initiative sponsored by Steve Eugster in the late ‘90s redefined the roles of the mayor and council members. It also dramatically increased the cost of city government.

Previously, under the Council-Manager form, the mayor was a member of the council … the policy-making body … which employed and directly supervised a city manager. This was a professionally trained administrator charged with carrying out the policies of the council. He/she was well-paid and served at the pleasure of the council.

Ideally, the Strong Mayor form anticipates the election of an individual qualified to carry out the duties previously assigned to the city manager with comparable compensation. However, it has periodically proven unrealistic to assume that someone with the requisite skill set would be elected. Consequently the mayor hires yet another individual to be the city administrator who, hopefully, does have the skills to justify the additional highly-paid position. Our cost just went up.

Unfortunately, a mayor’s lack of qualification and experience in municipal government can lead to missteps and judgment errors. These can be expensive as we have seen in the past.

It is imperative that we select leaders who understand the difference between the private and public sector, who understand the expectations of their roles and who have experience or training required for their positions. The mayor’s office is no place for on-the-job training. Ben Stuckart is qualified for the job.

Phyllis Holmes

Spokane